40 
7 he Sheep Stock of Gloucestershire. 
The fulness of the breast has already been mentioned, 
and it may be added that the Cotswold is well developed 
through the heart, and girths remarkably well. Although an 
upstanding sheep, the Cotswold carries a good deal of middle, 
which contributes to its generally square and massive appear- 
ance. The leg of mutton is good, although hardly as good as 
in the Down breeds. 
The wool should be long, lustrous and thickly set, not too 
fine and yet not coarse, with a well-defined lock, showing a 
wavy curl, and in tegs should measure from 10^ inches to 
11 inches in length. The belly should be well covered, and 
a bare poll is an abomination. The quality of the wool on 
the body should be uniform, not showing “ two sorts of wool,” 
as they say, nor should it be coarse and “ doggy ” on the 
thighs. 
One of the most valuable qualities of the Cotswold is its 
strong constitution and power of thriving in the most exposed 
situations and in the most rigorous climates. By nature a 
hill sheep, it can fatten on a thin brashy soil, but it is capable 
at the same time of standing the mud of a heavy fold better 
than most breeds. Perhaps the purpose for which it is least 
suited is that of grazing in rich, low-lying situations. Its 
genet al adaptability is remarkable, although, speaking generally, 
it has shown a decided preference for a cold climate and has 
not made as much headway as some other breeds in the 
Argentine and Australia. 
The ewes are good mothers, being both quiet and tractable 
and good milkers. In fecundity they surpass the Leicesters, 
and are up to the average of most English breeds. After 
weaning they rapidly regain their flesh and seem able to get 
fat on next to nothing. In this respect they are far superior 
to some more popular breeds. 
As a mutton sheep the modern Cotswold matures early, as 
on an average it can be fed out at ten to fourteen months at 
20 to 25 lb. per quarter. The weight of 6 cwt. 1 qr. 23 lb. 
for a pen of three 9 months old Cotswold tegs exhibited by 
Mr. Fk. Craddock at the Smithfield Show in 1892 has only 
twice been exceeded by any breed in the history of the club. 
This, notwithstanding that the exhibits of Cotswold sheep at 
Smithfield have been comparatively few in number. The case 
of a ram 2 years 3 months old, killed by Mr. W. Lane of 
Broadfield, which weighed 90 lb. per quarter, will show the 
weight to which a Cotswold ram can attain. 
An elaborate series of experiments carried out by Sir J. B. 
Lawes 1 on some of the leading long-woolled and short-woolled 
' Journal R.A.S.E., First Series, Vols. XII., XIII., XVI., XXII., and 
XXIII. 
